CFU PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2025, 11:00 AM
Contact: contact@campaignforuyghurs.org
+1 650-703-4523
https://campaignforuyghurs.org
Washington, D.C. – Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) urges the Thai government to immediately halt its plan to deport the 48 Uyghur refugees to China, which is set to occur within hours. Credible sources indicate that these men, who have been detained in Thailand’s Immigration Detention Centers (IDC) for nearly 11 years, are scheduled to be forcibly returned to a regime committing genocide on February 27, 2025.
These men are Uyghur refugees who fled China’s repression in 2014. Their deportation would violate Thailand’s obligations under the Convention Against Torture and its own Anti-Torture Act, constituting a crime against humanity.
Since January 2025, when the risk of repatriation was first reported, human rights organizations and government officials––including UN experts, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Subcommittee on East Asia & the Pacific, the Select Committee on the CCP, Congressional Uyghur Caucus co-chairs Reps Chris Smith and Tom Suozzi, and many others––have urged Thailand to halt the deportation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged to lobby Thailand against deporting these Uyghur men during his confirmation hearing on January 5, 2025.
On February 7th, the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand reaffirmed its commitment to human rights, particularly the non-refoulement principle, of no forced return to danger. A Thai court also recently recognized a petition to free these men, ordering Thailand’s Immigration Bureau chief to appear for questioning on March 27, 2025. Yet, despite international and domestic pressure, Thailand is reportedly still preparing for their deportation.
Rushan Abbas, Founder and Executive Director of CFU, stated, “Thailand must immediately halt its plans to deport these Uyghur refugees, which condemn them to genocide and unimaginable torture. If Thailand proceeds with this action, it will not only be complicit in China’s human rights abuses but also bear responsibility for a clear violation of international human rights law.”
CFU urges the Thai government to halt any deportation plans and facilitate their safe resettlement. We call on the international community to take urgent actions to save these Uyghur men, offer viable resettlement pathways, and hold China accountable for its transnational repression, and ongoing Uyghur genocide.
